Kiera Shatterstorm

Kiera walked down a weathered forest path. The path was worn down by travel, not crafted into a trading lane. The trees loomed overhead, shading the mercenary as she moved. The surrounding shrubbery was growing out, eating slowly at the edges as the forest sought to reclaim the path.

The directions Kiera got were vague, as all quest directions were, but she was seasoned. She longed for the days where she had to protect or attack a fort, when missions had clear instructions and most of the information was known. Backwater towns with uneducated people organizing the mission. “Weird Tree”s and other unhelpful landmarks were the cause of ambushes more than any enemy's intelligence.

Kiera had her free hand on her hilt, her bandaged one to the side, flexing absentmindedly. Kiera was a seasoned merc and would not fall for novice blunders like walking into an ambush. She didn’t know about the novices she was tracking, though.

The villagers had assumed she was working with the ‘Bravos Feminine’, an adventuring party to limited, if any, achievements. Kiera had been quick to tell them otherwise but gathered as much information as she could.

An all-women adventuring party was far from unheard of, but the group seemed well constructed. A medic, a ranged fighter, a magic user, and a front liner was about as optimum as you could hope for a four-man party. They should be able to handle most simpler missions. Kiera’s worry was the opponents.

Gnolls traveled in fairly large tribes so the sheer numbers could be disastrous for the new party. Despite that fact, many details weren’t making sense. Gnolls are typically nomadic so remaining in the area for extended periods is unusual. Kidnapping women was not unheard of but that would be a raid for hostages to trade and there had not been any negotiation attempts. The Gnolls were acting almost like goblins, which was unnerving as the massive size difference would prove an even greater challenge than Clearing a goblin den.

Kiera had set out to join the Bravos on their hunt. She had come to town looking for work and to help people so it just made sense. As she moved down the animal path toward where she suspected the cave was, her bandaged arm began to tingle. Perhaps it was the thing grafted to her flesh that influenced her out into the woods. Regardless, she would be careful and find the Bravos, preferably before they get wiped out.